Planning your financial future as an anesthesiologist?

This report will help you determine your deserved income range based on your situation.

We’ll then discuss how best to protect this income and plan for the future.

Table of Contents

Highlights

An anesthesiologist’s base salary is between $400,000 to $530,000
Earnings largely depend on your experience in practice
Washington is currently the highest-paying state for anesthesiologists, paying over $418,000
California is the highest paying state, with San Jose anesthesiologist salary mark at over $500,000
Cardiothoracic Anesthesia is the highest-paying subspecialty, with the top 90th percentile earning up to $400,000

What’s the Average Anesthesiologist Salary?

According to Salary.com, an anesthesiologist salary can range anywhere between $394,012 and $530,800, with the median salary being $441,200. Medscape falls within this range, reporting an average salary of $472,000.

Top 4 Factors That Affect an Anesthesiologist Salary

Not all anesthesiologists earn the same salaries. Some may earn significantly more or less than others due to location, working experience, and type of practice. We explain these better below.

1. Years of Experience

A resident can earn $68,000 in their first year, according to Medscape’s 2025 Resident Salary and Debt Report.

Yet, it doesn’t stay the same. With each completed year of residency, the salary will increase slightly.

Payscale.com says anesthesiologists steadily earn more as they gain experience in the field.

The entry-level anesthesiologist salary is $323,000. After gaining five years of experience, the average salary jumps to $340,000.

An anesthesiologist with over ten years of experience can expect to earn $375,000. An anesthesiologist with more than two decades of experience can earn $378,000 or more.

The average pay of anesthesiologists increases with experience. However, the final numbers are also heavily dependent on location and practice type.

2. Location

Location greatly impacts the anesthesiologist salary, since cost of living and demand come into play when determining an anesthesiologist’s expected earnings. Thus, specific locations pay a higher wage.

These rankings are based on national data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, along with salary estimates from ZipRecruiter, CompHealth, and DirectShifts:

State	Salary average
Minnesota	$465,340
Montana	$459,360
Washington	$445,354
Nebraska	$422,040
Idaho	$407,820

Five top-paying states/cities for anesthesiologists in the US

The states with the lowest reported average salaries are:

State	Salary average
Kansas	$257,530
Virginia	$254,440
Illinois	$238,620
Wyoming	$205,800
West Virginia	$193,830

Five low-paying states/cities for anesthesiologists in the US

3. Type of Practice

The type of practice that employs an anesthesiologist will also play a big part in salary ranges.

Here’s how the Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks down anesthesiologist salaries by type of practice:

Outpatient Care Centers: $387,760
Ambulatory Health Care Services: $344,920
Private Ownership: $338,880
Offices of Physicians: $344,630
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $312,270
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; $234,780

4. Incentives

Another factor that can help increase an anesthesiologist’s total compensation is how many incentives they earn.

According to Medscape, 53% of anesthesiologists have the opportunity to earn an incentive bonus. In 2023, the average incentive bonus received was $68,000.

These bonuses can significantly raise an anesthesiologist salary beyond base pay.

Subspecialties for Anesthesiologists & Their Salary

As specialized as anesthesiology is, there are still subspecialties in this field of medicine. Below are five of the most common and how these rank in terms of compensation.

Each subspecialty impacts total anesthesiologist salary differently. Consider the following base salary averages from Marit Health:

Anesthesiologist SubSpecialty	Average Anesthesiologist Salary
Obstetrical Anesthesia	$445,090 per year
Critical Care	$480,616 per year
Cardic Anesthesia	$541,230 per year
Pain Medicine	$462,393 per year
Pediatric Anesthesiology	$478,200 per year

Anesthesiologists’ subspecialties and their annual salaries

Obstetrical Anesthesias

An obstetrical anesthesiologist’s job title includes the use of anesthetics to aid in delivering a baby or reducing the pain of birthing.

According to Payscale, an entry-level obstetrical anesthesiologist can expect to earn an average salary of $327,500 per year. Marit Health reports an average base salary of $445,090, with total compensation closer to $474,000 when bonuses are included.

Recovery and Post post-anesthesia care

After a patient has been under anesthesia, they still need monitoring as they are recovering to ensure there are no complications. There is a sub-specialty in anesthesia that cares for these patients.

Entry-level anesthesiologists with this sub-specialty can start out making $271,564 per year, according to Payscale.

Cardic Anesthesia

ZipRecruiter has the average income of an entry-level cardiothoracic anesthesiologist at $393,215 per year. However,Marit Health reports an average base salary of $541,230, and other sources show ranges from the high $400,000s to $600,000+.

These numbers show a wide range of earning potential for a cardiac anesthesiologist based on the aforementioned factors.

Pain Management Anesthesiology

Pain specialists earn strong salaries, reflecting the demand for interventional procedures. Marit Health lists an average base salary of $462,393, with other sources placing compensation between $450,000 and $500,000.

Pediatric Anesthesiology

Pediatric anesthesiologists earn less on average than most subspecialties. Marit Health reports an average base salary of $478,200, though broader data sources suggest compensation closer to $400,000–$425,000 nationally.

For a more detailed breakdown on these subspecialities, see our article here: Anesthesiology Subspecialties: Which Pays More?

Interested to learn how your anesthesiologist salary compares to those of other specialties? Search our Salary and Compensation Library.

Other Things Anesthesiologists Should Consider

The salary you receive depends on many factors, but there are some additional things you need to consider in order to build a stable financial future:

Negotiating Your Anesthesiology Employment Contract

Negotiating your contract is one of the most effective ways to raise your anesthesiologist salary.

Despite a physician’s confidence in the operating room, negotiating with an employer can be intimidating.

To simplify the process, consider professional assistance for a contract review before finalization. This is necessary whether you’re entering a new position, renewing a contract, renegotiating, or exiting one.

Ensure your employment contract covers these key areas clearly:

Compensation and benefits
Duties and responsibilities
On-call and overtime
Partnership and ownership agreements
Begin and end dates
Restrictive covenants
Termination details
Malpractice insurance requirements

Contact our contract review team here.

Building a Retirement From Your Anesthesiologist Salary

“The earlier a physician begins to plan their finances toward retirement, the earlier they will be able to retire.” – Physicians Thrive

As an anesthesiologist with a high salary, you have a few options to consider as a retirement fund. These are mostly dependent on your employment form.

For instance, full-time anesthesiologists employed by a healthcare organization will gain a 401k plan.

On another note, anesthesiologists who are self-employed or partners in private practice can still have a 401k plan. They also have additional options to contribute to their retirement fund and qualify for tax deductions.

These include money purchase plans, profit-sharing plans, and defined benefit plans.

Both self- and direct-employed anesthesiologists can benefit from making contributions to a Roth IRA fund.

We’ve detailed everything in our Complete Guide to Physician Retirement Planning.

Having an Effective Tax Planning Strategy

Most people consider doing their taxes as a great way to save money, which is adorable. However, taxes can quickly become complex, especially with a high anesthesiologist salary.

An anesthesiologist should always consider enlisting the help of a professional when filing their taxes.

This one step can save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Why?

Professionals know where to look for tax deductions, exemptions, credits, and other ways to save you money– ways that you might be missing.

When you make hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, a professional could help you find ways to lower your tax obligation by thousands.

Choosing the Right Disability Insurance to Protect Your Anesthesiologist Salary

Although it isn’t something that we want to imagine, disability can happen to us all.

What would happen to your finances if you become unable to work due to injury or illness?

Disability insurance comes to the rescue in a situation such as this. It’s a smart investment that will help you protect your income in case of emergencies.

Not all disability insurance policies are created equal. We can help you find the right plan for you. Contact us today.

Maximize Your Earning Potential With Physicians Thrive

An anesthesiologist can earn more or less, depending on several factors, including location and experience, but ultimately, maximizing your anesthesiologist salary depends most on negotiationskills.

We cannot stress enough the importance of this to medical professionals, which is why Physicians Thrive is dedicated to helping anesthesiologists like you earn the highest salary for your specialty.

Our team of compensation specialists can set you up financially now and in the future. Click here to contact us now.

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